Former Melrose High basketball player charged with rape, sodomy

Chris Jones appeared in a Louisville courtroom on charges of rape and sodomy. (Source: WAVE3)

Jalen Tilford (left) and Tyvon Walker (right) (Source: LMDC)

LOUISVILLE, KY (WMC) -

A warrant was issued for a former Melrose High School basketball player who is accused of raping one woman and sodomizing another. With his attorneys at his side, Jones appeared in court on Thursday morning.

The star basketball player at the University of Louisville is now off the team and on house arrest.

Chris Jones is accused of attacking the two women last weekend, sending one to the hospital. Two other men are also charged in the case.

Jalen D. Tilford, 21, is charged with first-degree rape and sodomy. Tyvon Julah Walker, 19, is also charged with first-degree rape. According to the arrest warrants, Tilford and Walker forced a woman to have sex with them on Sunday, Feb. 22.

More information about Jones' alleged role in the case is expected to be released later.

Thursday at a press conference at the University of Louisville, the dean of students said that Jones was still enrolled at the university as of Thursday morning, even though his Jones' attorneys say he has withdrawn.

Jones, who was a senior guard for the Louisville Cardinals, was suspended from U of L's game at Syracuse on Feb. 18 for violating a team rule. The Cards dropped that game, but Jones was reinstated for the team's home game against Miami on Feb. 21.

U of L Athletics spokesman Kenny Klein issued a brief statement, which read, "Chris Jones has been dismissed from the University of Louisville's men's basketball team. There will be no comment on the matter."

On Monday, Feb. 23, WMC Action News 5's sister station in Louisville, WAVE 3 News, obtained a U of L police report that stated a female student involved in and on-and-off relationship with Jones received a text message from him stating he would "smack the (expletive) out of her."

The woman told police she had gone to Jones' apartment the previous evening, and that he left around midnight. She said she left at 3 a.m. after "messing up" the apartment.

"We hope the community will keep the presumption of innocence in mind because he deserves it and when the facts of this case comes out. People will agree with us about that," said Scott Cox, Jones' attorney.

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